Notifying next of kin is the law, I believe, or at least common sense courtesy. Would you like to find out that your loved one was dead on Fox News or CNN?
I think those that had family members on the plane deserve to be told of their fates before the rest of us are. I can wait until they are fully accounted for and all the families told before my curiosity is satisfied.
I don’t think we can take that information as gospel. Somebody called Dittman (who is a well-known pollster in AK) last night and told him this news, but nobody is confirming it. It’s irresponsible for KTUU to report it as fact.
Okay, well, CNN has confirmed that Stevens was one of the people killed.
CNN has just reported that Senator Stevens has been confirmed dead.
CBS news link confirming death of Stevens
According this to twitter, Sean O’Keefe and his son Jonathan survived the plane crash.
Oops. Should have checked here first.
I really have mixed feelings about the guy. He was well-respected by both sides of the political spectrum in Alaska, bringing in tons of money, creating jobs with legislation that favored the oil pipeline and offshore drilling, and other legislation that supported Alaska Natives in their efforts to incorporate and maintain small business status. He was also an aggressive supporter of air safety, which, in Alaska, has saved countless lives. On the other hand, he acquired the arrogance and self-entitlement mentality of so many of our elected officials, who seem to forget who it is that hired them. It’s something that I find unforgiveable in any politician. For Alaskans, however, the positives over a 40-year career far outweigh the negatives at the end, which were minor in the grand scheme of government corruption.
I changed the thread title to reflect updated info.
Ellen
Of course not; but why would it be wrong to ID survivors? My brother died last week in Hong Kong - some random dude (not the authorities)called me and told me; what’s the difference?
Because if you hear on TV, “The plane crash had 4 survivors; their names are Jack, Johnny, Jane, and Janelle” and you’re the wife of Bob, who was also on the plane, you are being informed of your husband’s demise in a very bad way.
No one once referred to him (to clue in people who may not be familiar with him) as “Fmr. Sen. Ted Stevens, of ‘series of tubes’ fame”?
Because that’s how I’ll always remember him, and that’s such a Doper meme …
That’s horrible.
Didn’t care for him much at times, but no one deserves to die like that. 
I’m sure he did a lot of good for Alaska. He’ll be missed.
What are the odds of his wife and himself being killed in separate airplane crashes?
Stevens was a decorated transport pilot in World War II. Stevens served in the China-Burma-India theater with the Fourteenth Air Force Transport Section, which supported the “Flying Tigers”, from 1944 to 1946. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying behind enemy lines, and the Air Medal.
His luck finally ran out today. He lead one heck of a life.
Well, it’s sad. I wouldn’t call it ‘horrible’, though.
I’ve pointed out many times that small aircraft are pretty darned safe. But sometimes they do crash; and last time I checked, about 20% of the crashes involve at least one fatality. (Source: The Nall Report from several years ago.) As far as ‘deserving to die like that’, I can think of worse ways. Like being run over by an ice cream truck. Still it’s sad and tragic for his family and friends, no matter the cause.
On preview: aceplace57 points out his flying career. It seems a better end for him to die in a plane, than any of a number of other ways.
Yes, he was to Alaska what Robert Byrd was to West Virginia - a bringer of massive amounts of pork to his home state, though in the end he wasn’t able to get the $400 million for the “Bridge To Nowhere”.
No doubt there will be lots of fond eulogies, but Stevens was the kind of politician the nation as a whole does not need.
I would agree. He was a pilot and an outdoors guy (when he wasn’t in WDC) and died with his boots on. Better than being connected to “a series of tubes”, for sure.
Oy, veh…
Why do they always have to bring up the lack of a flight plan as if it’s something sinister? They’re not required for a VFR flight. In this case, I think I heard it was a 35-mile flight. I wouldn’t file one. The point of a flight plan is to have an idea of where to look if a plane goes missing. Since it was a short flight that (I presume) flew a regular route, a flight plan isn’t needed in VFR. And the wreckage was found quickly.